Acupuncture for finger/hand pain?

[kait0220]

Hi all - my fibro symptoms seem to be the worst in terms of fatigue (sleepiness and muscle fatigue from doing basically anything) and hand/finger joint pain. I'm 28, not showing any signs of RA or carpal tunnel. Nothing I have tried seems to help with my hands. It does get a little worse with use, but they are in constant pain regardless of what I'm doing. I've tried acupuncture a few years ago for some pain in my knee, didn't really notice a big difference, but then again I only went a few times. I was wondering if anyone has this type of pain or if anyone has gotten relief from joint pain with acupuncture. The pain is the worst in the knuckles and the "meaty" part between the thumb and index finger. Thank you

 

[sunkacola]

I have not tried acupuncture. Maybe try Arnica cream? I also have painful joints in my fingers but it is only in short, sharp bursts of pain that goes away rapidly. Arnica cream doesn't help with that but if your pain is constant it might help.

 

[RLG]

Hi Kait. My hands are killing me right now, too. I agree with sunkacola to try arnica, but read the packaging carefully. Voltaren may help, as well. But if you take an N-said or aspirin product they cannot be combined. Voltaren helps my knees, hands, etc a lot, BUT I take ibuprofen often so it isn't workable and I have my hands in water for my work so it just washes off. Maybe you can apply it at night?

I wonder if you have a history of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in your family? My pain started very young and has progressively worsened. Fibro and PsA flares are awful, fatigue is .... ugh. One thing I can promise you kait, your pain is real and there is a reason for it/cause for it.

I am thinking seriously about trying accupuncture, or even myofascial release. I would appreciate hearing from others about their experiences, too.

 

[Eff2013]

Hi Kait, my hands have been hurting me for the past month. My pain was also worst in the 'meaty' (like this description) part between the thumb and the index finger. I couldn't even pick up my mug in the morning. My pain was also in the palm of my hand and the wrist area as well. What I found helped a bit was using a cream called FISIOCREM at night . It didn't make the pain go away completely but it had a soothing type of heat. One of the ingredients in the cream is what was mentioned here above and that is ARNICA. At the moment my pain has migrated from my hands to my upper shoulder area. Hope this has helped abit.

 

[Sydney]

Hello Kait. You sound like a mirror image of what’s going on with my pain right now with my hands and knees. Hurts so much I can’t text message anymore. Or walk up the steps some times. I want to try the acupuncture. I use the arnica. I also bought any and everything I saw on Amazon too I thought would help. I use Penetrex and DMSO cream. Both bought on amazon. Biofreeze as well. And pain relieving Liniment spray by JR Watkins that I swear is the best out of them all. At night when my pain is the worst I put cream on them and gloves so it doesn’t rub off it works nicely. Get hand massages at the nail salons for pain relief in your hands. That works the best! They Pull the pain right out of your fingers. You can manage your own hands too. I tried cayenne pepper cream at one point but don’t recommend because it was burning my hands. Hope this helps. Ice packs and switching to a heating pad too.

 

[JayCS]

Not sure of acupuncture either, my first try didn't help. But for the hands and fingers:

In the rheum. clinic tho, they had two kinds of hand help. Didn't take it seriously first, until I realised it helps the underarms too and then that my hands do need it, I just hadn't realised...

The first was movement exercises, called spiral dynamics, which I can't find in English on the net, tho.
1a. Cup one hand solidly on something the right height, as if something were under it. Then push the hand flat. Repeat about 10x left and right.
1b. Cup it and lift each finger as high as possible.
1c. Let your hand creep forward on the table.
1d. Hold your little finger forwards and press(ure) it even more forwards.
2. Close your fingers around a short stick like a (thick?) pen in one hand, clasp and support it with the other. Then "row" a lying eight with the stick. If necessary point your forefinger out and draw the lying eight, until you've got the knack. Repeat 10x left and right.
3. Use Qi Gong balls, best youtube-video I've found is "Finger fitness guru, Greg Irwin demonstrates Chinese Medici".

The second they had was a "bath" for the hands in cold (refrigerator) or hot (under 50°) grain, preferable canola, for 15-20 mins. You move your hands around in the grain, kneading it. Canola works better because it's smaller than for instance rice.
This helped a lot of the fibro-patients there. It didn't help me at all, it gave me a dizzy spell and more for several hours, whether cold or hot, altho whole body cryotherapy is the only thing that very much helps me. I tried it a third time, seeing as my body works with stints of things, I went down to 3 minutes, then an 8 minutes break, then another 2 minutes. That was OK, but it didn't help me. It soothed pains in the fingers and hand of the others there tho.

 

[Affinity]

I have hand and finger pain, too, for me it's worst in the knuckles on both hands. The thing that has started working for me, surprisingly, are hand exercises. I thought they would make my hands hurt worse but I think it is actually helping them. I bought two tools, a grip strengthener and a set of rubber bands that create resistance for finger extensions. I hope that makes sense, I was honestly surprised that these exercises helped, and they also seem to help the joint pain in my elbows, as well.

 

[sjbrown]

Good information!! Thank you for sharing!!

 

[Oddish18]

I have finger / hand / wrist pain and toes / feet / ankle pain .
Acupuncture was too painful and I couldn’t tolerate it .
I had tried it before for migraines years ago and fell asleep during it , so was very surprised when I
Couldn’t handle the acupuncture now .
I found for my hands that compression gloves workthe best for me . Brand I like is IMAK , they have a gentle pressure , not super tight .
I wear them Especially at night , so I can sleep .
The ones for feet wear during the day
The brand I use are Crucial Compression .
hope this helps , good luck !

 

[JayCS]

I found for my hands that compression gloves workthe best for me.

Very interesting, I'd never have thought of that. Can you try to explain why of all things pressure helps?
When I told one of my pain docs of the failure of my 1st acupuncture (which meant a lot of pain, too, btw), she told my to try 'real Chinese acupuncture', not just from any old doc. Was that perhaps the problem in your case too, Oddity?

 

[irvinj46]

I completely understand the pain you are experiencing in your hands and fingers. I have constant pain in my hands and fingers also. I wake up and am unable to bend my fingers at all. I've tried a lot of things to help relieve the pain but have been unsuccessful. I did try a very low pressure massage and that seemed to be the best for relief. You may want to try that and see if it helps. Good luck to you!

 

[Flexecif]

I say why not. You can try everything that makes you feel better. I read about people who found this very helpful. Give it a try.

 

[Mariemiguel2]

There is no harm in trying, and I heard that acupuncture really works